On the Scene -- Rogge Discusses 2016 TV Rights

IOC President Jacques Rogge dismissed suggestions that U.S. television negotiations will impact the 2016 host city selection. (ATR/M. Bisson)(ATR) In Lausanne, IOC President Jacques Rogge dismisses notion of U.S. TV rights will impact 2016 city and defends decision to reject the EBU's proposal for future Games.

IOC President Jacques Rogge dismisses suggestions that a delay in negotiations for the next round of U.S. TV rights until after the election of the 2016 host city could favor Chicago.

“No, I absolutely don’t believe that is the case,” Rogge told reporters at a press conference at IOC headquarters in Lausanne that concluded two days of EB meetings.

“I know my IOC colleagues well enough to know that the vote they take will be on sporting issues and not on financial issues, so I don’t think that will play a role,” he said.

He was responding to a question posed by a reporter suggesting there was a danger that the TV rights deal would play too much of a role in the election of the city. The inference was that in the past NBC has provided the bulk of the IOC’s revenue and the vote in Copenhagen next October could be influenced by consideration of the new U.S. TV rights deal.

Chicago faces competition from Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo in the race for 2016.

Earlier this week, Richard Carrion, chairman of the IOC Finance Commission, admitted that any move to strike a U.S. TV rights deal could be put off until after the election at the IOC Session. Informal discussions have already taken place with NBC, ABC/ESPN and Fox.

Rogge also commented on the IOC’s recent rejection of the European Broadcast Union (EBU) from consideration for the rights to the 2014 and 2016 Olympics, which ended a 50-year association with the broadcast partner in Europe.

“We had our own calculations, our own ideas about the economic value of the Olympics. The EBU has another one. I respect their view. They might be disappointed by our view, but this is life.”

Rogge said the tender had been organized according to stringent European Union laws and when it was revealed the EBU was not the highest bidder, the IOC decided to continue discussions with other partners in the market. He was referring to ongoing talks with Swiss-based Infront and French-owned Sport Five.

The IOC sold TV rights in Turkey to national broadcaster Fox and in Italy to pay network Sky Italia this year in deals that were both in excess of what was paid under the current EBU package.

But Rogge emphasized that public service broadcasters still had a major role to play in covering the Olympics. In the case of the 2014 and 2016 Games, he insisted that, with the exception of Italy and Turkey, public service broadcasters in every country still had the possibility to negotiate and buy the rights.

Even if the IOC was to secure deals with private or commercial companies in any territory, they had the obligation to broadcast 200 hours during the Games free-to-air.

“I don’t see why there is so much emotion around this. The IOC, indeed for the first time, is doing exactly what FIFA and UEFA are doing. Maybe there is a new landscape in Europe,” he said.

Rogge also spoke about the impacts of the deepening financial crisis on the sports movement. He offered reassurances that the IOC was on a solid financial footing, restating comments made last month at theThe IOC will be taking a different approach to securing broadcast rights for future Olympics. (Axel Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images)European Olympic Committees congress in Istanbul,Turkey and at a press conference in Brussels, Belgium where he announced his intention to stand again for the IOC presidency.

“I can say the IOC is in a position to weather the storm but we have to be realistic. The situation is so volatile we have to be flexible and are ready for anything that might come,” he said.

Speaking in Brussels six weeks ago, Rogge said he feared problems for grassroots sport. Today, he said some of those fears had been realized with sports experiencing difficulties with sponsor renewals, struggles with ticket sales and diminishing government support at different levels.

Rogge said he had received reassurances over the finances for the next three Olympics in Vancouver, London and Sochi.

In comments on the IOC’s discussions with the U.S. Olympic Committee over a new revenue-sharing deal, Rogge said there would be further talks in January. The IOC’s working group, led by its marketing chief Gerhard Heiberg, will meet with the USOC leadership to discuss the issue in the first quarter. He said USOC honorary President Peter Ueberroth was directing negotiations for the NOC.

“It is not up to me to discuss what role Mr [Larry] Probst will play,” he said of the new USOC chairman.

“We definitely will propose the USOC to hopefully finalize discussions during the executive board in Denver at the end of March [25 to 27],” he added.

Written by Mark Bisson

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